lifeasmewhoyen : 4Fourteen

That rare moment when you find parking in the city right in front of your restaurant was welcomed by hubby and I this afternoon. It was 2pm, we had hardly eaten, so the last thing we wanted was to trawl through Surry Hills looking for a place to park. Today was not going to be one of those days.

Enter 4Fourteen, a bustling restaurant in Surry Hills headed by Colin Fassnidge and Carla Jones. Even with an empty stomach, I was instantly impressed by this chandelier and the rustic design of the restaurant. 

Sunday conversations between family, lovers and friends.

The open bar smack bang in the middle... 

... but I opted for my usual- soy latte.

 An amazing piece of art on top of an amazing piece of art!

4Fourteen: ‘Chicken ‘n Dip’
Chicken, Parfait, Apple Chutney, Tortilla

Hubby and I never ever say no to Pâté. In any shape, or form. Today we were extremely impressed by this version- pâté and chicken. Hubby described it as "honest". He didn't lie.  

4Fourteen: Grilled Rodriguez Chorizo with Lemon
8 each

If there's one thing I usually don't order from a menu, chorizo would be it. I find it best eaten in simplicity- fried or grilled. And that's how most restaurants serve it- only they like to charge a ridiculous amount for it. For a dish that lacks creativity, I usually pass. Until I had the most amazing chorizo and scallops at a restaurant in Berry a few months back. I don't lie when I say the chorizos were so good that they overshadowed the scallops. Today, at 4Fourteen, I was also impressed. 


4Fourteen: Crab Roll, Spiced Avocado Puree 12 each

I would pass three pork rolls for one of these. 

And I love pork rolls. 


4Fourteen: Seared Bonito Ginger Beer Jelly, Apple 19

We were going to go for the fish fingers, but the waiter recommended this instead. It was refreshing and reminded me of summer. 

4Fourteen: Roast Pork
Cauliflower, Cavolo Nero, Prunes
35

Their famous suckling pig special had run out for the day, so we decided to go for the next best thing. Everything about this dish worked for me- from the cauliflower to the sauce. As for the pork, well, it was soft and succulent. Pretty much perfect. 

It was one of those dishes where I had to lie and tell the hubby "I've had it enough, you eat it". 

It was definitely a perfect Sunday. 

4Fourteen: Rhubarb Ripple Rice Pudding
Passion fruit Curd and Pistachios
14

I ordered dessert and my breakfast arrived. If you're a fan of rice pudding, go for it. On inspection of the dessert menu I saw "passion fruit" and ignored everything else. My bad, because I did not enjoy it. I understand the intention here- to create a seasonal dessert menu. What I don't understand is how I opted for this rather than the "Bounty" (a deconstruction of the famous chocolate bar). 

To give me an excuse to visit 4Fourteen again, perhaps?

WHAT I WORE: 

I had another rare moment today- dressing casual. No thought process involved, just went into my wardrobe and picked this out. Boring. But that's how I was feeling.